Adventure #5:
Managing our Ecosystems
Managing our Ecosystems
To build on our new knowledge of ecosystems, we will now discover how we use these ecosystems in our everyday life.
As many of you likely noticed when identifying the ecosystem you live in, it may not have been so easy. Especially if you live in a city!
In a world as complex as ours, we have two main types of ecosystems when it comes to managing them:
Managed and Unmanaged ecosystems.
Seems pretty simple, right? Well, it is!
Before we get started, take a couple minutes to write in your Field Journal what you think each type of ecosystem management is like.
To learn more about ecosystem management, watch the following video and read through the material below.
from FuseSchool - Global Education, CC license
Unmanaged Ecosystems (Wildlife)
Unmanaged ecosystems are the ecosystems that have not seen any human change to them. Now in our world today, these are almost impossible to find, but they are essentially what the ecosystem of an area would be without any interference. These are also the places you probably imagined when we discussed the types of ecosystems in Idaho! This is the most natural state of an ecosystem.
Managed Ecosystems (Cities and Farms)
On the other hand, managed ecosystems are in the areas that humans live in! These are our farms, parks, national forests and other areas we manage the plants and animals in. These ecosystems are made to fit our needs by choosing which parts of the ecosystem to keep and which parts to get rid of. Managed ecosystems have allowed humans to multiply, and are now an essential part of our everyday lives.
Doing your part
Now as you probably noticed in the video, we humans can have a large impact on the world around us.
Therefore, moving forward I would like you to think about how we could better respect the natural ecosystems of our world.
Some examples of this are creating lawns that fit your environment instead of just planting grass!
Write down some ideas for your family in your Field Journal!
These could involve more natural landscaping, respecting the outdoors when you are in a natural ecosystem, or even learning more about what your area would look like if it was unmanaged.
Alright, let's wrap this up! Click below to move on to the final step of this Adventure!